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Darra W

Darra W

has 79 followers and is following 58 people

Writer, editor, quilter/fiber collage artist, voracious reader: I read about 150 books a year for pleasure (mostly literary fiction, history/historical fiction, memoirs).
If you are a quilter, fiber artist, or simply love to work with fabric, visit my "collaborative" blog at seehowwesew.­wordpress.­com.


SF Bay area
  • member since August 12, 2008

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Darra W’s last login was 18 hours ago. show recent activity »

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Public Notes

  • Christine

    Christine says

    Yes, it was wonderful to see everyone yesterday. I just love our bookclub! (Even though I felt terribly guilty for not reading this month's book!) Joel's gig at Bo's last night was great! The place was packed and everyone loved the band. He will be performing again on March 31. I'll keep you posted.

    posted yesterday. ( send a note )
  • Christine

    Christine says

    Hi Darra,
    Is this our next book, Memories of the One I love
    by Simon Smith-Wilson?

    posted 2 days ago. ( send a note )
  • Howard N

    Howard N says

    I'm glad you liked the Branca book -- and thanks for the info. I will put it on my wish list.

    Not having access to the Mets early telecasts I never knew Branca ever did any TV work. But I do remember the story about the camera scam. Of course, Bobby Thomson and the rest of the Giants denied it. If memory serves me, it was a Giants third-string catcher by the name of Sal Yvars who let the cat out of the bag. I know he claimed at one time that his team had stolen signs during that game , but I don't know if he is the source for the investigative piece.

    Spring training is just around the corner! Of course, with the unseasonably (and scary) mild weather that we have been experiencing here in the heartland, we could have played baseball in January!

    I've got to get to either the Mantle or Maris book pretty soon.

    Later,
    H

    posted 9 days ago. ( send a note )
  • Wendy B

    Wendy B says

    Yes, thats the book!
    And its OK, it was just a thought. :-)

    posted 9 days ago. ( send a note )
  • Howard N

    Howard N says

    Hi Darra,

    Poor Ralph! I look forward to your opinion of the book.

    Later,
    H

    posted 10 days ago. ( send a note )
  • Wendy B

    Wendy B says

    Ok ...
    So, do you own the book?
    I have an idea if you are interested -
    I have 2 books about women in prison -
    "Orange is the new Black" - http://www.amazon.com/Orange-New-Black-Womens-Prison/dp/0385523394/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1328367613&sr=1-1
    and "Stolen Lives : Twenty Years in a Desert Jail" - http://www.amazon.com/Stolen-Lives-Twenty-Desert-Paperback/dp/B000FVHJDU/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1328367645&sr=1-1

    Both of them are really great!

    Would you be interested in doing a swap? You can pick either one (Orange is the new black is an ARC, and Stolen lives is a Hard Cover)
    Let me know, and if you don't want to it is OK!

    posted 10 days ago. ( send a note )
  • Jen

    Jen says

    Sounds great! I look forward to sharing books and ideas on the Middle Ages!

    posted 12 days ago. ( send a note )
  • Jen

    Jen says

    Hi Darra,

    Thank you for the friendly note! Ha! Yes, "Tess . . ." is not one of my favorites, but I've been told not to give up on Hardy (and have bought a copy of "Far From The Madding Crowd" to show my willingness to compromise with my friends who are Hardy supporters :). I enjoy learning about medieval England, too. I hope you have luck with "Margaret of Anjou." I've seen it characterized as revisionist and feminist, but as long as the reader takes the author's bias into account, no harm done! Would it be alright for me to follow you?

    -Jen

    posted 13 days ago. ( send a note )
  • Howard N

    Howard N says

    Hi Darra,

    I just finished "Articles of War." It is a powerful book. I find it utterly amazing that it is a first novel and was written by somebody who has never experienced combat! It is a book that will stay with me for a long time.

    I plan to write a full review in the next couple of days.

    Later,
    H

    posted 3 weeks ago. ( send a note )
  • Howard N

    Howard N says

    Hi Darra,

    I think "Matterhorn" is a very realistic portrayal of combat in Vietnam. It is one of the best novels on the subject that I have read. I also have Marlantes non-fiction book on my to-read list. I will look for his interview on BookTV's website.

    His life story, especially what that war did to him personally, is a cautionary tale about what war does to our young people. But not everybody seems to be paying attention.

    Later,
    H

    posted 4 weeks ago. ( send a note )
  • Howard N

    Howard N says

    And Happy New Year to you, too, Darra.

    A year ago this past summer I rescued three pups that had been dumped on the side of the road. I still have two of them. They are the first dogs that I have owned in over thirty years. I didn't think that I would ever have dogs again because they can place certain limitations on one's lifestyle. But I have really enjoyed Pinnie and Shortie. Everyday I am reminded of this prayer: "Dear Lord, please help me to become the person my dogs think I am."

    I have always been a sucker for a good dog story, and I am enjoying Edgar Sawtelle. It has been on my to-read list for a long time.

    Later,
    H

    posted 1 month ago. ( send a note )
  • Bev

    Bev says

    I see you're reading Rules Of Civility, Darra
    ---
    It was my last book of 2011 and I loved it.
    Hope you enjoy it.

    posted 1 month ago. ( send a note )
  • Mary B

    Mary B says

    You are more than forgiven as I have been more than a little remiss. I've had too much to do and too much on my mind. I'm just getting back into the swing of things for the new year.

    Mendocino sounds beautiful! That may be why I have to travel abroad. Wisconsin is short on epic views, and we won't even talk about the views in Gary, Indiana. ;) I hope you get to the UK but Italy is up there on my dream list. I've only done the very very very north and would love time to explore and enjoy pasta and cappuccino. My vacation plans for the year will be mostly settled this week but may be subject to change if I miraculously find a better job. I'm 90% sure I'm going to Turkey in April and I'm crossing my fingers for a month-long trip to Southeast Asia this time next year. It would involve some major saving and staying in my current job so I'm not booking anything yet. I won't even know if it's a possibility until later this week but I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

    How did Bess go? I have that one on my shelf and have been meaning to get there. I just finished organizing my books and it's truly a tragic situation. I separated by books I have read and books I have not read... Any guesses which pile was bigger? The English history is all in more or less chronological order and I'm surprised how many books I have from the George III era. I may have to pick up one of those soon, but I'm determined to finally get to Ian Mortimer's biography on Henry IV.

    I'm back to the Mitfords. Debo this time. I'm also reading Burmese Days by George Orwell. My father decided he's going to Burma, which I'm convinced he's doing just out of spite. Based on the book so far, we'll see who gets the last laugh.

    posted 1 month ago. ( send a note )
  • Judy S

    Judy S says

    Hi Darra, I thought of you this past weekend. We were in Boone to see my niece get her Masters in Political Science from ASU. Very proud of her ....but brrrrrr! Very cold.
    Judy

    posted 2 months ago. ( send a note )
  • Howard N

    Howard N says

    P.S. ~ I double-checked. I see that you have read Lamott's other bird book.

    H

    posted 2 months ago. ( send a note )
  • Howard N

    Howard N says

    Hi Darra,

    Well, now A. Pujols will be competing against your Yankees. That should be interesting.

    I see that you are reading one of Anne Lamott's books, "Imperfect Birds," which I haven't read. But I wondered if you have read her "Bird by Bird?" I didn't find it on your shelf. Supposedly, it is a step-by-step guide on how to write. Much more than that it is a step-by-step guide to coping with life.

    I will never forget the meaning of the title of the book and have often remembered it when I faced a problem -- or problems -- that seemed overwhelming.

    Later,
    H

    posted 2 months ago. ( send a note )
  • She

    She says

    It is a beautiful story, a fast read, and boy, did I want to lash out at Theresa's in-laws. I read someone's review and they complained that the memoir lacked emotion on Theresa's part. I think if it was expressed we would be asking, then why stay. It seemed that she really down played her writing, successful as it was, but it must have been a huge release for her pent up emotions. I haven't read any of her previous work. I read someone's review about this book and I waited a while at my library for it to come - I was the first reader. How did you hear about it? Heck, it might have been your review that piqued my interest!

    posted 3 months ago. ( send a note )
  • Christine

    Christine says

    Can't wait to hear what you thought about The Art of Fielding! See you Saturday!

    posted 3 months ago. ( send a note )
  • Mary B

    Mary B says

    Attempt #3. What's with shelfari and the crazy outages? I have been terribly lax in my reading and catching up on shelfari. I'm just dreading winter. I missed most of it last year and I just do not want to drive in snow. Obviously your locale is slightly nicer for the holidays.

    I read a Carolly Erickson "historical entertainment" once. It was on audiobook and it was so bad it was hard to stop myself from swerving into traffic. Absolutely dreadful. I cannot believe she writes non-fiction. The one I read was on Katherine Parr and was just bonkers. Apparently Henry had a crush on her from childhood. She single-handedly ended the Pilgrimage of Grace (that was my fav) and there were many pages of raunchy sex with Tom Seymour of course. Unbelievably awful. She makes Philippa Gregory seem like a buttoned-up professor.

    I wish I had travel coming up. I'm out of vacation days for the year and hesitant to plan something definite for next year. I've been applying for jobs for entirely too long too and can't bear the thought of committing to my job for an extended period of them. That being said, the one advantage of my job is that I get a month of vacation a year so I am considering. The Euro's doing too well and I'd really like to do something different. I'm looking at a lot of ideas but strongly considering Southeast Asia (Indonesia's my thought of the moment), Turkey, and some combination of Costa Rica/Peru/maybe Guatemala/whatever. Any suggestions welcome. I'm trying to balance my lack of money and need for someplace cheap to go with my now finite frequent flier miles. Basically if I do Southeast Asia.... I'm out.

    Any exciting travels coming up?

    posted 4 months ago. ( send a note )
  • Howard N

    Howard N says

    Darra,

    The Cardinals have proved that the phoenix is not the only bird that can rise from the ashes. They seem to do a lot of things wrong (all those misplays in game 6), but rise to the occasion when it is all on the line. Sports commentators overuse the word resiliency, but I can't think of a better description of this team.

    Later,
    H

    posted 4 months ago. ( send a note )

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